The big news yesterday was the trade of Patrick Crayton to the San Diego Chargers for a seventh round pick that could be come a sixth round pick if he catches 40 passes this year. The rumors proved to be true that the Cowboys were actively shopping Crayton, and to dump him for a very low draft pick shows they were anxious to get rid of him. Did they get equal value for him? I don't think so, Crayton is a very good third receiver, his stats over the past years compare very favorably to other third receivers around the league. But, at this time of year, it's very hard for a team to make a trade for equal value since most teams assume you'll eventually cut the player if you're trying that hard to trade him. So it's not an equal value trade, but the Cowboys at least got something for him.
Now, in direct contradiction of the statement above that it's hard to get equal value for a player this time of year, the Cowboys pulled off another trade, one where they got more than equal value. Reserve offensive lineman Pat McQuistan was traded to the Miami Dolphins for an undisclosed draft pick. McQuistan was a guy who wasn't going to survive the cuts today. The fact that the Cowboys got anything for him is a miracle. Since there are only seven rounds in the NFL draft, you can assume that the draft pick they got for him is basically the same value as the one they got for Crayton. Think about that for a moment.
Crayton is a guy who can actually help a team on a regular basis. As mentioned before, he's a very competent third receiver and can also return punts. If you need to press him into starting duty, you can do that, too. On the other hand, if you are going to put Pat McQuistan into regular duty on your offensive line, you better have a ton of health insurance on your quarterback. Yet, in this crazy world of the NFL, they both go for basically the same draft pick value. Insane. Thanks Miami, the Tuna and Sparano's infatuation with McQ has given the Cowboys an extra draft pick they don't deserve.
With Crayton out of the picture, it looks like special-teams ace Sam Hurd moves up to number four in the wide receiver pecking order. I like Hurd but I don't think he was Crayton's equal as a receiver. But, he is his equal and more on special teams. Coach Joe D. has to be very happy with this development. Another guy benefiting from the move - Kevin Ogletree. He has potential to be something in this league, and with the logjam at receiver now opened just a bit, he may get his chance. I can't lie and say I'm a fan of the decision by the Cowboys to move Crayton, he was a great insurance policy against injury to one of the top three receivers. Still, at least they got something out of the deal. It's just painful to know they got as much for Pat McQuistan as they did for Crayton.
In other news, the Cowboys will release defensive lineman Marcus Dixon. In today's world, we get that news via his Twitter account. It's a new age when players announce their own release!